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Hernando Today

Flipping the Switch

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By TONY CASTRO SPORTS EDITOR

Hernando Today

Published: November 14, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The buzz word this week in Hernando County athletics is power failure.
When the lights mysteriously went out last Friday night in Lake County, Nature Coast Technical football team's fortunes suddenly went from heroes to zeros.
An ensuing melee in the dark has not only cost the Sharks a perfect season, but perhaps jeopardized its entire season.
Less than a week later in Brooksville, three power failures - none of them, however, involving electricity - were the difference at West Hernando as visiting Fox Chapel's girls' basketball teams swept a double header.
In the battle for first place between a pair of unbeaten squads, Fox Chapel (6-0) solved West Hernando's varsity, 29-20.
In the junior varsity game, Fox Chapel (5-1) scored the game's final 12 points across in the last 5:32 to edge gutsy West Hernando (1-5), 22-11.
 
Tigers rally
 
In the early junior varsity contest, Fox Chapel (5-1) roared out quickly. They appeared to be en route to early knockout scoring 10 of the game's opening 12 points to lead 10-2 with 2:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Up to that point, seventh-graders Heather Collins (4 points), Catherine Hurtado (4 points) and Destine Key (2 points) helped Fox Chapel race to the early advantage.
Yet, West Hernando skipper Connie Sanders watched as her squad gradually pecked away. It certainly helped that their defense did not allow another Fox Chapel point for 14½ minutes.
It also helped that Fox Chapel committed 27 turnovers.
During that power outage, West Hernando slowly chipped away.
Brittany Martinez led the comeback with four markers while Lacey Grieves added three points.
Martinez's lay-up with 3:23 left in the third quarter tied the game at 10-all.
Anna Maria Viola helped snap the deadlock by converting the second of two free throws following a technical foul assessed on Fox Chapel Coach Mike Adams. Viola's free throw with 70 seconds left in the third quarter gave the hosts their only lead, 11-10.
But in the final period, West Hernando's legs gave out as Fox Chapel's12-0 run salted away the win.
Collins led all scorers with eight points while Key finished with six markers. Each had two lay-ups in the final five minutes to tilt the game.
"We ran out of steam," lamented West Hernando mentor Connie Sanders. "We needed fresh legs in the last quarter and we used a lot of energy to get back in the game. These kids need the game experience. We have nine sixth-graders.
"At this point, they're continuing to learn the fundamentals of the game," she added. "Tonight, we showed a lot of guts coming back. They know we've improved; now we've got to learn on how to finish games."
From the visiting sideline, Coach Adams praised West Hernando.
"After the early lead, we stopped running the offense," recalled Adams. "We changed defenses in the fourth period and that got us clicking again.
"Give West Hernando's coach (Sanders) credit, they did not play like a 1-win team. Their coach adapted to our press."
"It was frustrating," shared the 12-year-old Collins. "We knew we had to win this game and we really didn't play well except in the beginning and the end."
"I was completely shocked when they took the lead," chimed the 13-year-old Key. "At that point, I was scared and nervous. But we took over in the fourth. Now, we're 5-1; I'm really happy."
 
Power Failure dooms WHMS
 
Through 18 minutes, there could not have been a better varsity game as Fox Chapel was clinging to a one-point lead, 21-20.
But in the final quarter, West Hernando misfired on four free throws, including the front end of two critical one-and-one situations as Fox Chapel scored the game's final eight points to win going away, 29-20.
Fox Chapel eighth-grader Brianna Johnson, who came in averaging 16.4 points per game, tallied six points in the fourth period to finish with 16 markers.
Center Lauren Grimsland added six points while forward Sarah Robinson did a terrific job rebounding and getting outlet passes to her teammates.
"Our defense was great tonight," explained the 13-year-old Robinson. "Our defense was unbeatable tonight."
How big was the win?
"It was huge," relied Robinson. "They came in unbeaten too. This just boosts our confidence up some more. It's not for a team that went 5-5 last year."
What about Johnson's heroics?
"Brieanna hit some big shots tonight," added Robinson.
Johnson, in turn, praised Head Coach Dave Schlechter.
"Our coaches have great expectations for this team," said the 14-year-old. "We're an aggressive team. That showed up in the fourth. Toward the end of the game our defense stepped up and worked together."
And the win?
"It's nice to still be unbeaten," she smiled. "I've never gone undefeated before."
The Golden Eagles, who led once (1-0), received a solid double-figure scoring effort from Jules Waugh (13 points).
"They (Fox Chapel) were a little quicker than us," explained West Hernando skipper Ginny Gaustad. "Overall? We did OK. Tonight, our passing was off, that has to improve. The biggest adjustment is working against their trap defense."
Positives?
"For the most part, we worked as a team," she replied. "And Jules had a great game inside."
 
Fox Chapel 29, West Hernando 20
VARSITY
                        1    2   3    4
Fox Chapel    10    4   7    8 -- 29
West Hernando   7    4   9    0 -- 20
FOX CHAPEL (29) - Robinson 1 0-2 2, Welch 1 0-4 2, Allen 0 1-2 1, B. Johnson 8 0-2 16, Grimsland 2 2-2 6, Steff 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 3-12 29.
WEST HERNANDO (20) - Hagar 1 1-4 3, Waugh 6 1-4 13, Venturella 2 0-0 4, Fackler 0 0-2 0, Brennan 0 0-1 0, T. Johnson 0. Totals: 9 2-8 20.
Three-point field goals: none.
Total fouls: FC 15, WH 11.
Fouled out: Welch (FC).
Technical fouls: none.
Records: Fox Chapel (6-0), West Hernando (5-1).
Fox Chapel 22, West Hernando 11

JUNIOR VARSITY
                            1    2   3    4
Fox Chapel    10    0   0   12 -- 22
West Hernando   2    2   7     0 -- 11
FOX CHAPEL (22) - Onishi 0, Key 3 0-0 6, Woreen 1 0-0 2, Hurtado 2 0-2 4, Collins 4 0-0 8, Bruderman 0, Dennis 1 0-0 2, Holloway 0. Totals: 11 0-0 22.
WEST HERNANDO (11) - Martinez 2 0-0 4, Viola 0 1-2 1, Grieves 1 1-4 3, Lewis 0, Lane 1 1-4 3, Liles 0, Alexis 0, Hernandez 0, Rush 0, Williams 0. Totals: 4 2-10 11.
Three-point field goals: none.
Total fouls: FC 16, WH 12.
Fouled out: Welch (FC).
Technical fouls: FC - Coach Adams.
Records: Fox Chapel (5-1), West Hernando (1-5).
 
 

Sports Editor Tony Castro can be reached at (352) 544-5278 or online at acastro@hernandotoday.com.

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